CPS Gumpert was created in 2012 by the merger of Corporate Printing Solutions (CPS), a print services broker, and Frank Gumpert Printing, a print shop with over 50 years of regional history. As a new leadership team assessed the merged company’s future plans and projected growth (including a new facility), they identified a need to evaluate brand strengths and weaknesses, and to consider opportunities for improvement.

When we were brought on board over a year into the merger, CPS Gumpert still hadn’t fully established an independent and suitable identity or brand. In many ways, the company remained CPS + Frank Gumpert Printing – together, but not truly merged. Orange Element’s task was to evaluate both sides of the company from the ground up with an eye on identifying the new company’s core brand attributes and positioning them to move forward as one well-considered whole instead of two distinct halves.

Following initial discovery with the full leadership team, we began a series of interviews with employees from every level of the company and from both sides of the merger. We looked for commonalities and conflicts, as well as for consensus regarding how to best position the company for the future. We then engaged a selected group of CPS Gumpert’s clients and external partners to cross-reference our internal findings against the opinion of the marketplace. Our findings were then focused and compiled into a comprehensive report wherein we recommended a new name (Ironmark), new identity, and series of communications initiatives.

Ironmark’s new brand rolled out throughout the second and third quarters of 2014, and the company heads into 2015 on a continued growth trajectory.